Game 33: Frustrating...

I am going attempt to not beat a dead horse with this game.

The Boston Celtics have been playing great basketball. But just because your team has been playing great does not mean a frustrating loss like this should not be acknowledged. Yes, losses of this kind will happen to every upper echelon team. However, my expectation as a fan has always been that you should make sure to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. In this regard, the Celtics have exceeded my expectations this year. Their three losses were to solid teams: (1) Orlando Magic when they possessed one of the top 5 records in the league; (2) Cleveland, a team that makes a living off second chance opportunities and not making too many mistakes; (3) Detroit.

Charlotte is a team the Celtics should beat, and that is why I was frustrated with tonight's loss. The big picture should not be lost. The Boston Celtics are 29-4. That’s beyond impressive. But that again does not change the fact that the Boston Celtics lost to the 13th ranked team in the Eastern Conference. In case you were curious, the Eastern Conference is comprised of 15 teams.

Why I was frustrated by tonight’s loss:

TURNOVERS…

Every mistake that you make is an opportunity for your opponent to take control of the game. Period…. End of story…

Boston: 17 turnovers
Charlotte: 11 turnovers

Boston: 72 attempts from the field
Charlotte: 80 attempts from the field (0-24 potential point advantage)

Charlotte more than cashed in on this advantage by connecting on 49% of their shots (39 for 80). Boston increased the difficulty of their task tonight by shooting 41.7% from the field.

The problem tonight was that the Celtics played as a group of individuals on defense, instead of one cohesive unit. Boston appeared to be working hard in a number of stretches, but the rotations were poor which resulted in more than a few open lay-ups for Charlotte.

Stream of thought…
For those who react to tonight’s loss by saying “we did not have Ray Allen”…wake up. We should beat Charlotte regardless.

I have one criticism for Doc Rivers tonight…

WHERE’S LEON POWE?

Where’s #0?

This was the kind of game where you throw Leon Powe into the game. Leon Powe is synonymous with toughness and energy. We needed him tonight. He’s just the sort who could have mixed things up a bit for a few minutes. I fully admit this criticism is filled with personal bias. I love Leon Powe.

I would not cite the referee’s horrible calls as a reason why the Celtics lost, but I would say that Tommy was right tonight. The officiating was consistently inconsistent and horrible.

Rajon Rondo just keeps getting better and better… He is far from perfect and his defense will still frustrate me at times; not because of a lack of effort but more because his defensive positioning can still get better. I’d like to see Rondo keep his opponent between his legs more often rather than playing to either the left or right hand of his opponent.

The one major positive with tonight’s game… Scalabrine’s drive and dunk. I tried to find a picture of it, but couldn’t find one. If you know what I am referring to, it was great stuff.

Lastly... I have to give the Charlotte Bobcats credit. They played a very good game tonight. The one thing with Charlotte is that they will often take advantage of a better team who is not focused. Charlotte can play with a lot of fire, and they can not be slept on. Charlotte made the plays tonight. When the Celtics were sleeping, they cut to the hoop. If there was a loose ball, they were on the floor. Charlotte played tough and won the game. In my opinion Boston should have won this game. But Boston did not give them the game. Charlotte earned it, especially at the end when Boston tried to harness their focus and salvage a win. Charlotte played tough down the stretch and pretty much told Boston it was too late.